Rob Nichols

Gentlemen Hall: Midwest electro-pop from some Boston boys

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Upon bestowing the “Best New Band” award in 2010 to Gentleman Hall, the Boston Phoenix wrote that “These songs sizzle and pop with resuscitated beats, bass lines and laser-booty synths that argue the last 20 years should be stricken from the record.”
The band that came back to Indianapolis for the WZPL Jingle Jam with Matt Nathenson and Christina Perri on December 3 at the Egyptian Room, is touring behind their new record When We All Disappear, and effectively mixing retro grooves with pop radio friendly production. Sort of like OK Go, without all the stunt videos.
Meeting at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, the gang of synth-pop rockers has crafted tunes that recall the ’80s – maybe a little Controversy-era Prince-and thump with an electronic backbeat that melds club-happy bottom end with a familiar grooves. Nuevo Duran Duran? Cars for the newbies? Some hidden Hall and Oates influence from their last big record (Big Bam Boom)? All of that.
I wanted to know more about the band, so I talked with singer/guitarist Gavin McDevitt, who had flute player Seth Hachen (from Indiana, by the way) at his side, helping with the answers.
ROB: There’s distinct ’80s flavor to what you do. Talk about where your sound comes from.
Gavin: We were never as big into the ’80s musically as we are into the ’80s as far as gear and instrumentation. A lot of our sound comes from a vintage analog synthesizer called the Juno 106 which was most prevalent in the 80s. But we try to keep as modern of an approach as possible!
ROB: Any influences from your city that you hear in your music. I hear the Cars…
G: We are a Boston band with deep roots in the Midwest. We believe all the great music being made in Boston creates strong vibrations and energy that go directly into our music. The current Boston music scene is amazing. We feel like this scene is something similar to the Seattle grunge scene in the ’90s. Bands are very supportive of each other, but are writing very unique music that is very now.
ROB: What has been the track of your career? Openers? Clubs? Writing more than playing? What has worked for you?
G: We definitely weigh all as equal. As many irons in the fire as possible, man! Although we do really believe a band will be remembered 100 years from now for one thing… The song. We write a lot. LOT.
ROB: You’ve played with some long-active bands and at some larger venues. Any moments that have seemed like a nice turning point for your progress?
G: It seems like in today’s day and age, it’s simply all about making real fans one at a time. The momentum has been building but there has been no “break,” if that makes sense. A lot of exposure may have given you a big record deal in the past, but today we just try to make fans and not be forgotten.
ROB: Ever been to Indianapolis?
G: Indianapolis is one of our fondest memories as a band. We opened for Muse at the Verizon Center. This was probably the most fans we’ve made at one show. Sold out of CDs and T’s. And Muse put on one of the best shows we’ve seen in a long time.
ROB: Anyone in the band have Midwest roots?
G: We wear our [Midwestern influence] with pride. Two of us are from Cleveland, one from Minneapolis, one (Seth) is a South Bender, not too far from you.
ROB: Anything I missed that you want to add? Shameless plugs or smart-ass remarks?
G: Big shout out to Boston’s beloved model @LoVeSeXnGIA. She is a taste maker in the city and we are lucky to be shooting our music video for the single “Gravity Will Break Our Bones” with her in a key role.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlF_GcZ2C1Y]

REVIEW: The Elms "The Last Band on Earth" album/DVD

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The Elms, their final production – a live DVD and companion soundtrack – proves that the Indiana rockers went out while they still cared.
What comes through the speakers in The Last Band on Earth is triumphant American rock-and-roll energy tinged with a layer of final show melancholy.
Recorded live at their July 30, 2010 finale at Radio Radio in Indianapolis, the 110-minute, 20-song concert film and 30-track downloadable soundtrack showcases the band’s earnest delivery and amped-up guitar rock punch.
Thom Daugherty’s guitar plays a starring role on this set, a majestic sound that’s dirty and elegantly unruly. The guitarist’s energy pushes singer Owen Thomas to a good place, a jubilant, emotional delivery anchored by Daugherty’s raucousness.
During the four hour final performance, The Elms revisited cuts from their entire catalog, pumping out music echoing Bryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen, with Daugherty showing some AC/DC and Aerosmith influence, too. This release melds those influences into a pretty damn good package.
The best songs, “Unless God Appears First” and “This is How the World Will End,” cast an anthemic spell, unhurried and heartfelt, blending gospel and American rock and roll. “The World” borders on epic with a call-and-response duel between Thomas and Daugherty near the end.
Thomas’ voice is far from a growl, his soaring vocals punctuated by healthy and genuine shouts of excitement and emotional yelps.
His brother, Chris, on drums, delivers Aronoff-like slams and crashes, and gives the band a thunderous rock presence.
The group never reaches the lyrical depth of Springsteen, but they draw on The Boss’ gospel and his ability to let the music tense and release. The Elms never completely lost the spiritual feel of their early days as a Christian band in Seymour, In., and songs like “Bring a Little Love to My Door” and ”Come on Down to the Water” embody those ideals.
Tunes like “She’s Cold” and “Strut” show off the band’s other side, more bluesy and groovy. Daugherty, who handled the final audio mix, leaves beautiful space for Nathan Bennett’s solid bass playing.
“Thunderhead” and “The Way I Will” highlight the Bryan Adams influence. Like the 80’s rocker, The Elms wield twin guitars, loud drums and lyrics simple and memorable enough to sing along to; this is a mighty good recipe for success in a sweaty club.
The music is warmly captured by engineer Mike Petrow, and the final night’s work is injected with a ’70s heartland rock sound. The band’s true success lies with their better-than-a-bar band Middle American feel.
Shot with handheld cameras, the DVD puts the viewer on stage. Edited by Owen Thomas’ multimedia company Absorb, the jittering views give the show a strange energy and a voyeuristic feel, bursting with intricate close shots.
The DVD and soundtrack captures The Elms as they reach for something meaningful, doing their thing one last time.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLOoGaG_8dA]

Truth and Salvage Co. finding a musical home in Indiana

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After opening for the Avett Brothers at The Lawn at White River State Park in October, roots-rockers Truth and Salvage Co. returned for another hit on Indy, opening for JJ Grey and MOFRO at The Vogue last month. Indianapolis is becoming one of the band’s regular stops, thanks to singer/songwriter/guitarist Tim Jones’ roots here.
The band often hangs out at Jones’ parents’ house when in town; the guys also stayed around for a few days and cut some songs at an Indianapolis studio when they were here on October.
The band just finished a run of shows in the smaller, sweatier clubs, in a slew of one-nighters. As they finished up, I caught up with Jones to ask some questions that had been rattling around my little rock-and-roll head.
RN: You recorded some music in Indianapolis when you were in town, opening for the Avett Brothers in early October. What did you record and where?
TIM JONES: Well, we were planning on recording some demos for the next record with the Johnson brothers at Pop Machine or Vess Ruhtenberg and Andy Fry at Queensize, but then we realized we needed more rehearsal on the songs before we recorded them. So we spent four days at the Music Garage arranging and rehearsing 10 or so songs that we’ve been playing on this tour now.
RN: Have the songs been around for a couple months, or are some new?
TJ: We did a songwriting retreat at the end of August to try and put together a lot of ideas that we’ve been throwing around the last two years. We’ve literally been touring almost non-stop the whole time, so it’s been hard to actually write, especially as a band.
RN:: Why did you decide to record in Indy?
TJ: We rehearsed in Indy ’cause we had four days off after a couple dates with the Avett Brothers before our tour really started.
RN:: Will these tracks become an album, or are they demos?
TJ: We’re working on getting all the songs ready for the second record. We’ve got about 20 possible (songs) right now, so we fleshed them out in Indy so that we could play them on this tour and see how they worked. Hopefully [we’ll] get them real good so when we go into the studio it will be real easy to track and be natural. We really want to make a record that you can smell, taste and feel.
RN: What have you learned in the past six months that you wish you had known before?
TJ: From a business standpoint, it’s really hard to tour without a publicist. There’s so much music out there, and constant entertainment choices. If people don’t know you’re playing, then they don’t even have the knowledge to make the choice of what they’re going see or not see.
RN:You are coming back through Indy for at least the third time since September. Besides being your hometown, what is it that the band has started to like about Indianapolis?
TJ: All my family and friends have now become the band’s family and friends and there’s just no place like home. [I love] being there in October and watching the changing of the leaves and feeling the crunch of the ground walking around, and the smell of the air. It really is a magical place in the fall.
VIDEO – From final show of 2011 tour
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9BKrkJy_3E&feature=related]

Indiana Music: Catching up with Jimmy Ryser

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Musical success came to Jimmy Ryser in 1990 with the release of his self-titled debut CD. The first single, “Same Old Look,” hit number 26 on the Billboard chart. The album sold over 100,000 copies.
But the national stage was short-lived. While music has continued to play a role in Ryser’s life, he broadened his career. He also got off of painkillers, clean for more than 10 years.
Now, Ryser is the program manager for Pain Services at IU Health Methodist, after earning his Master’s degree in Counseling at John Carroll University.
We’ve read Jim post on Facebook about new music, so we decided to catch up with the Ohio-born Hoosier to see what it was all about.
RN: Any new songs and new original music in your future?
Jimmy Ryser: Absolutely, quite by accident. I had gotten in touch with Bill Winke, a well-known archery hunter, who hosts an Internet and TV series called Midwest Whitetail. I had sent Bill a copy of my “1965 – now” CD and he asked if he could use my music for the show. I told him I would go one better and do writing exclusively for his show.
That was two years ago, and I write nearly all the music for the Internet, and all of it for TV. Another CD will likely be a result.
I just sent in a piece that had bagpipes, a little boy singing, a drum loop I created, and violin. The producers at MW absolutely loved it. Then I go hillbilly with a fiddle, a dobro, and a Jew’s harp. Then orchestral. There is nothing in the digital age you can’t do.
Winke provides lots of ideas, I get more while sitting (and hunting) in a tree, and then I come home and go crazy. Best stuff I have ever done.
RN: Are you playing live shows?
JR: I mostly do private shows and the occasional gig. I like Zanna-doo. I play with those guys and gals every year for the 9/11 tribute and always love it. But my priorities are recovery, family, hunting, Midwest Whitetail, and (then) playing out.
I expect a few more gigs next year (including) the benefit of Recovering Nurses Now; I hope to make it yearly. I am a huge fan of the nurse who has addiction and chooses recovery. I will go to the wall for them.
RN: What have you been listening to?
JR: I love country music. Lady Antebellum has to be my favorite. Love Zac Brown as well. And so many folks compare my old stuff to Rascal Flatts – although Gary LeVox absolutely blows me out of the water, I am humbled by the comparison. And Rush and Pink Floyd still roll me.
I just checked my CD player in my truck. Methods of Mayhem, Henry Lee Summer, my stuff for the (TV) show, Sade, and Tony Rich Project are in my changer.
RN: When you record, how do you do it? Are you at home? Studio?
JR: I like both. I updated my recording studio and am having more fun with music than I ever had, including the Arista days. I have worked with Andy Symons since I was 18. He and I have done stuff at the lodge studios, including my best CD Chameleon. And he has mixes here at home.
Both have their charms but at the end of the day I love doing stuff here at home. The magic happens and then it is in stone – no demos, just what is. And I like it that way. I play everything myself.

The Elms set to release DVD restrospective

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Fans of The Elms, the now-defunct band nuevo-heartland rock band that rose from a good little group out of Seymour to a crunchy, passionate guitar rock and roll gang, will be pleased to know that a new DVD about to be released.
After seeing some new posts about final mixing and video editing for The Last Band On Earth, the DVD retrospective project they’re working on, I talked to singer Owen Thomas about the piece that should serve as both a memento for fans and and an opportunity to wrap their run as a band into a self-produced, worthwhile package.
The details include a generous amount of music and even some documentary stuff. They are getting ready to start making announcements about the project through Twitter and other social media outlets. When I caught up with Thomas, he was able to give some of the scoop early.
“Details will go live at TheElms.net about all this stuff on about November 1,’ Thomas said. “We’re finalizing things now, in the final mix & edit stages of the film. The DVD will be out on Black Friday (November 25). People can follow The Elms on Twitter for the latest.”
ROB: How many songs will the DVD contain?
Owen Thomas: The DVD will contain 20 songs from The Elms’ final performance. It’ll be about 120 minutes long, with a couple never-before-released tracks, and about 12 songs that have never been offered live.
RN: DVD and CD/audio or a DVD only?
OT: There will be a deluxe package which contains the DVD and 30 high-quality downloadable tracks from the final show, plus a commemorative movie poster.

RN: How has the project been to work on? Highlights? Lowlights?
OT: We’ve all been super busy traveling and doing work with other artists. So, some time opened up over the summer and we dove into working on the film. We’ve been working on this from the road as we travel, too. (Elms’ guitarist) Thom (Daugherty) is actually sending me mixes from Minneapolis right now. It’s been an extraordinary amount of work. I mean, it’s a feature-length film. It’s been as much, or more work, than any record I’ve ever made. But I’m extremely proud of it.
RN: When is it going to be available and where?
OT: The film will be exclusively available at TheElms.net, possibly iTunes soon. We’ve got people talking to Netflix about possibilities.
RN: Artwork? Being worked on?
OT: We’re doing it all ourselves. Artwork, editing, mixing, everything. My creative house, Absorb, is doing the heavy visual lifting. Thom is mixing the audio. It sounds really fantastic. The film is going to be really wild, really cool. We’re calling it a “documentary concert film”. It’s raw, really visceral.
Hear The Elms – Sneak Preview
http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F26257302&height=84&show_artwork=false&color=3b5998&width=398She’s Cold (Sneak Pique) by Thom Daugherty